Tourist information - Taupo
Lake Taupo - New Zealand's largest lake (619 square kilometres) and the heart of the North Island.
Lake Taupo was created by a volcanic eruption so big the sun went hazy in China (relax, that was some thousand years ago). Almost everywhere you look there’s a volcano. Just a few minutes north of the Lake at Wairakei you'll discover geothermal fields, boiling mud pools and steaming geysers.
In Taupo itself, and at the little village of Tokaanu near Turangi, there are hot mineral springs that have been soothing weary souls for centuries. As well as the prawn burgers at the world's only geothermal heated prawn farm will blow you away.
Lake Taupo is a great vacation destination both in summer and winter. Trout fishing is a major attraction - it’s currently over 100 years since the first trout fry were released into the lake and also today it is the last true wild trout fisheries around the world. Skiing and adventure activities are also other reasons to visit. And when you’re not within the lake or perhaps up a mountain, you’ll find the Taupo town centre crammed with cafes and also enjoyable shops. The nearby Huka Falls area is great for picnics and nature walks - or perhaps you could take a thrilling jet boat ride right to the foot of the thundering water.
A few minutes south of the Lake is Tongariro National Park, New Zealand's first national park and also a World Heritage area. It was created in 1887 when its three breathtaking volcanoes, Ruapehu, Tongariro as well as Ngauruhoe, were gifted to the people of New Zealand by the Ngati Tuwharetoa people. Over the western side of the Lake, the Pureora Forest Park is home to such rare creations as the shy kaka or perhaps bush parrot and also the not-so-shy fluorescent blue mushroom.
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